I snapped the above photo in the Coop supermarket in Sansepolcro, Italy the day before Valentine’s Day, February 14th. It combines the Italian penchant for love and whimsy. This ad sits above a variety of floral arrangements on sale. The phrase L’amore non ha età translates roughly to “love knows no season.”

So the simple story goes something like this. The Italians didn’t know beans about white beans until explorers brought them back from the New World, probably Mexico, in the 1500s. Prior to that, the ancient Romans had cultivated black-eyed peas and Renaissance Italians enjoyed the broad bean or fava. But the white fagioli, now know as cannellini beans, were new and considered fairly exotic. The Italians were probably the first Europeans to eat them.

Clement VII received some of the first seeds because, well, he was the pope. They were planted in Tuscany. The story goes that when Clement’s relataive, Catherine de’ Medici (age 14), left for France in 1533 to marry Henry II (also age 14), her brother Alessandro gave her some cannellini beans to take with her as a wedding present. No silver candelabra for her. But these beans were very new and special and Catherine was a foodie. She introduced the white bean to the French. Question: would there be no cassoulet without Catherine?

Back in Italy, cannellini beans were such a hit they quickly became a staple in Tuscany. Not just for the royal table, they were perfect as peasant food, la cucina povera. They were easy to cultivate, very nutritious and served simply with olive oil, garlic and sage. The Tuscans were in love. And to this day the rest of Italy refers to Tuscans as i mangiafagioli, the bean-eaters.

This bean and tuna salad requires few ingredients and little time to prepare. I made a double batch once for my daughter’s International Day at school and there wasn’t a bean left on the dish. You can use dried beans and soak them overnight but that wouldn’t be simple and simple is what we’re all about.

Stracciatella has been called “the most Roman of soups” although just about every region in Italy has its version. Stracciatella means “little rags” because that’s what the eggs look like when they’re swirled into boiling broth. [Although that’s what the water looked like the first time I boiled my home-made potato gnocchi.] Traditionally, other ingredients tossed into the soup include bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and grated lemon peel.

I call this recipe “Stracciatella…with benefits” because it includes chicken and vegetables. This is a great recipe if you have kids because it’s a meal in a pot. Just serve it with a sliced baguette and you’re in business. This was the first dish served to my two daughters where they would actually eat spinach. I think they had to eat the spinach to get to the chicken.

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Hi. I'm Barbara Francis and I hope you like authentic Italian food as much as I do. It's simple, fresh, seasonal. What's not to like? And it's part of my heritage. So join me in the kitchen of Italian Food Made Simple. Just step right over the dog, she won't move even if you ask her.